Something about him was a little intimidating. Maybe his racing history or the company he kept. Maybe the cigar. Who knows? When Haas became the promoter at the Milwaukee Mile, we had more reason to talk. He was one of those millionaires who'd take my calls.

But this conversation was different.

He had just been part of a news conference announcing a deal that put the organization owned by him and Paul Newman and Mike Lanigan in a partnership with Robert Yates' NASCAR team. After the formal program in 2007 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, I asked Haas for clarification. What was in it for him?

And he froze.

Maybe the deal was so driven by others or so far outside his day-to-day concerns he lost track. Maybe he'd momentarily forgot. But he didn't know.

Sad thing, dementia.

Haas' presence at the racetrack diminished with his health. Newman/Haas Racing ran through the 2011 IndyCar season, a year or maybe two without him around, and was competitive until the end. Haas' and the team's legacies are too great to be forgotten, but with each successive season, the traces grow weaker.

Carl A. Haas Automobile Imports Inc. announced Thursday its founder had died June 29 at his Chicago-area home, surrounded by family. Haas was 86.

'As a partner of Carl's for four years in IndyCar, I got to know him as a generous and kind individual whose whole life's purpose was racing,' said Lanigan, who moved on to Bobby Rahal's team. 'I have always had the respect for the man who achieved so much success on and off the track.'

There's no way to know how much of what Haas accomplished in racing and business stuck with him for how long. Quite simply, he was one of the most powerful and important men in racing for the second half of the 20th century.

As a driver, Hass won numerous sports-car races. As a businessman, he came to distribute cars and parts, most notably for Lola, which at times dominated Indy-car racing.

Haas served as chairman of the Sports Car Club of America and on the board of directors at Road America in Elkhart Lake. He headed promotions at the Mile from 1992-2002, a period during which NASCAR returned to Wisconsin.

As a team owner, Haas fielded cars in Can-Am, Formula 5000, Formula One, various Indy-car series and NASCAR, winning 16 championships and more than 140 races.

Newman and he made quite a pair, too, the graying movie star with the piercing blue eyes and round-faced businessman with the big glasses and well-chewed cigar, together in victory lane.

'He lived the American dream in starting his career under humble beginnings and achieved his accomplishments through hard work, long hours and determination,' Lanigan said through Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.

'Isn't that what this country is all about?'

Big weekend

NHRA is in the midst of change, and Scott Paddock couldn't be happier.

The drag-racing series begins the second half of its season this weekend at Route 66 Raceway with a new team leading the sanctioning body and amid news that TV ratings are up significantly and attendance and energy are following.

'It's not going to translate overnight,' said Paddock, president of Route 66 and its sister property, Chicagoland Speedway, in Joliet, Ill. 'It's going to take some time to build that, but we're feeling very optimistic in our event weekend coming up here with some of the things we've put together.'

Route 66 has latched onto the 50th anniversary of Funny Car to lead its promotional efforts around the K&N Filters Route 66 Nationals. Maybe the competition between Ron Capps and Courtney Force will grab your interest, or maybe a history lesson from Don 'The Snake' Prudhomme and Tom 'Mongoose' McEwen would.

But deeper than any single race or weekend encounter, it's the overall direction the NHRA has taken that has Paddock invigorated as a promoter. Peter Clifford, named president last summer, gathered track operators in November to guide them through a strategic plan that included the new TV deal with Fox, the 'content library' that provides tracks with promotional resources, and several other priorities.

'We see that all the time on the NASCAR side, and we as track operators develop our own strategic plans. But we never saw that to that level of depth and that thoughtful nature from the NHRA,' Paddock said.

'The other thing they did is they've elevated their game in terms of what I'd call the horsepower of their leadership management team. They're bringing in a lot of industry experts... and we're seeing that needle move as a result of that leadership they've brought on board.'

What will be interesting to watch is how long this boost for drag racing continues while NASCAR stagnates on the on the other end of the Chicagoland/Route 66 property.

Money back

IndyCar says it will contribute $925,000 to help fully refund people who bought tickets for the canceled Boston Grand Prix. Although the sanctioning body did receive some payment from the organizer, this total is far greater, a series spokesman said.

The event was announced last May and scheduled for this September but called off in April. The organizer has filed bankruptcy, and the Massachusetts attorney general's office announced Thursday it had filed suit to recover refunds.